Quote:
Originally posted by The_Dude
so, law should be re-written to suit religion?
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Again, I think my point was missed. It is not to rewrite law to suit religion. It is to remove religion from the equation.
Let me state this in another way. Words have power. The word "marriage" has meanings to most religious or moral groups. If we create a different word for the legal bond between two individuals, we can then deal with only the issues of what the legal rights of the individuals are.
In most cases this would not require major rewrites of the laws in the United States. It is a substitution of one clear legal concept for one that has become unclear due to interpretations outside the legal realm. Legislatures take this kind of action all the time. Once the concept is entered into law, it can automatically apply to all benefits, etc.
This concept also does not preclude governments from recognizing marriage as meeting the conditions for the initiation of the legal bond. It is just that marriage in a religious setting isn't only one way of entering into that bond.
(I hang around too many lawyers and legislators. Now I sound like I'm writing the bill and arguing it in committee.)